a Gun and a Legend
by Vault166
Summary: The twins, Wandered out from within Vault 101, Leaving a mark on history the Sister disappeared leaving nothing, but a worn Jumpsuit to prove her existence, the Brother left something more substantial, a gun, and a legend... only to be swept away with the dust... now... he's back.
1. Prologue

How long had it been? How many years, had passed me by?

The answer was, unknown to me.

Yous see I was just a wanderer, going from place to place, I went wherever the radioactive winds took me. I had come from vault 101, however it was an escape, instead a fond farewell. It was on charges of treason, as both my sister and I had left the vault, clueless as newborns.

Our grandfather, had shown the Overseer results that proved the wastes were tough but survivable. With a chuckle I couldn't help but think of little Amata and her friend Markus, trying to sneak into the air ducts. The little trouble makers.

Soon after leaving the vault, my sister and I were separated, when a group of raiders attacked the house we had taken shelter in. As I wandered the waste I heard a girl from vault 101 had popped up around a settlement called megaton.

So I traveled there all the way from the ruins of DC, to this megaton.

Only to find out from, a nice girl named Moria, that my sister had payed to have her vault suit improved, about six months before I had even gotten word of her arrival.

She had disappeared with nothing but jumpsuit as proof, of her existence.

I stayed in megaton for a while, mourning my loss. I found comfort in a bottle, but I realized my fault when a young girl named lucy, stopped me from committing suicide by, alcohol.

I found it kinda funny that a ten year old, was smarter than me, Lucy had wandered here from a place called arefu, cause in her words "I wanted to make my own goddamn choices." of course she still sent and received letter from her family.

On the way to megaton she had somehow ended up in the depth of washington DC, finding another young girl named Sarah Lyons another overly tomboyish girl, but don't let her tough demeanor fool you, she was just as cute as Lucy when I wouldn't let her have any cookies.

I should probably mention throughout these events I was only sixteen.

Something they reminded me of at every, opportunity. The settlers of megaton gained no end of amusement, from our childish arguments. Soon after I received a radio transmission on my Pip-boy, It was from the brotherhood of steel, however that wasn't important.

No what was important is it was a message to Sarah, it was of her father, practically begging her to respond, or just prove she was alive at all. The man was horribly distraught, I was frozen still with the magnitude of sadness the man was portraying.

Rushing through the town I eventually found Sarah.

As she listened I could tell she was trying to act tough, however through the radio we heard a door opening.

' _Elder lyons'_

I gasped when I heard that, I met Elder Lyons, a few times when I turned over some of the dangerous tech I found on a few of my travels. Mainly it was just this weird gun I found called a fire lance, from what my Pip-boy could translate, from the wierd language written on the side, and a few other dealing when I sold them a plasma rifle or two.

It was actually kinda funny, I had in my short time wandering the wastes, run into twice the amount of plasma artillery than the brotherhood had in their armory. which wasn't very much considering they only had about four, plasma rifles, and pistols in their armory.

However I was having trouble associating this broken man, with the commanding man that I knew.

' _I'm sorry are last sweep has shown no, sign_ _Sarah… and as protocol states after the sixth sweep…"_ The man paused sounding hesitant ' _all searching is to be stopped so that we may mourn uninterrupted.'_

I half expected Lyons to snap the man's neck and be done with it however Elder Lyons had another idea.

" _I'm sorry, Paladin I've been caught up in my own sadness, I didn't think how hard this would be on the rest of the rest of the brotherhood… sorry for my folly.'_

I'm sorry but I couldn't help stop myself from putting in, as I turned on the microphone on, took a deep breath, and said in the most flippant, and casual voice I could.

"Owyn could you stop with the whole depressing thing?" Across the wasteland, Members of the Brotherhood of steel froze with anger. They had been listening for the past four months, as any sign of Sarah lyons would be reported.

Even the initiates who had barely known the girl, as she was gone for most of, their membership, roared with barely restrained anger. after all who had the gall to say that over a radio dedicated, to finding the brotherhood's lost family?

I did!

Elder Owyn Lyons, steps were audible through the radio, slow, methodical, steps that sounded like the announcement of the apocalypse. I could practically hear him reach for the, button that would allow, his rage to flow throughout the wasteland. When I finished my sentence.

"After all you're making Sarah cry." I said in a scolding manner. But sure enough Sarah had two hot trails of tears flowing from her eyes…

Elder Lyons voice cracked, across the radio, ' _Sarah… a-are you there?"_ before she could even ask my Pip-boy was in her hands and I was out the door, giving her privacy.

A week later I was standing on top of the Arlington memorial bridge, Sarah right beside me as we looked the remains of the pentagon, now known as the Citadel. The brotherhood had arranged, for me to get her here, on this exact date.

They were either really happy to see Sarah, or really angry at me. They probably had the entire, chapter right out front. So I sent Sarah off, not wanting to risk punishment for the sarcasm I had reported finding her with. I did however give her my ten millimeter pistol.

I had at some point during, my travels around the wastes inscribed, "Your Heart is a Weapon the Size of your Fist" while in a drunken haze. as I did she gave a questioning look to which I replied "Think of as an excuse for me to come back and visit." She gave me a hug before turning the gun over, and the name "Gary" scratched on in messy handwriting.

What can I say? I picked it up in vault 108.

Though Sarah didn't, seem to mind as she was still excited about having a new, way to mutilate who ever crossed her. Needless to say I was very proud of the young blonde.

I watched her approach the citadel, and upon seeing her, Initiates, paladins, and scribes alike rushed to greet her. However, they then rushed inside acting erratic and suspicious. Like they were searching for something, took me a minute to realize they were looking for, me.

Yeah I high tailed it out there like, road runner.

I would only later, find out through radio, that they thought I had kidnapped her. apparently when talking to her father over the radio, she accidentally used a code found in a pre-war military manuel.

The sheepish chuckle was implied.

I returned to my previous lifestyle of wandering the wastes, soon after. Naturally I visited megaton the most, I only was allowed to visit the Citadel a few times though. the gate guard seemed to notice me forgetting my pistol, one too many times.

I made a name out in the wastes wondering, helping people, and just making the place safer in general. The wolf symbol on my duster eventually became, a way for people to tell me apart from others.

But as people say good things always have to come to an end, as I eventually wandered, into vault 87.

However as I float through the prison of my own making, I watch in amusement as someone wipes away the grime, from the window that saw into my hell.

As I see a hint of blond hair, and a surprisingly familiar face.

I can't help but wonder if more time has passed than I thought.

My name is Etherious, Maximum, Bell… and I can't help but wonder if my story has only started…*Chuckles* what am I thinking?

This isn't even the _Prologue_

* * *

 _And so was the beginnings of a new tale, and a new protagonist for the wastes. But no matter where you go or what path you take, there's something behind, you draining your veins of anything worthy of redemption, a parasite latched onto your soul, don't think you're free!_

 _You're never free! WAR! wouldn't let you go that easy… and I/we know war… after all…_

 _War never_ _Changes_


	2. Gary!

Sarah Lyons… a name many had heard over the years, a name to be carved out in history, almost infamous as dusty angel that saved her.

She liked to think she was going to be engraved in time, dieing in a flash of glory, she liked to think she would leave more than a gun in proof of her existence,and more than an urban legend to tell of her life.

She liked to believe she would leave an actual legacy in her wake, she liked to believe she would be a allowed to grow old and wrinkled with children before she fired her last bullet.

Unfortunately for her, she was assigned to the exploration and research of vault 87.

She approached the vault door, a set of power armor, draped over her form, as she walked forward. Leading a group of ten knights she set out she was just a knight captain, estimated to be approved for promotion in a month, well if she could lead these few in a successful expedition and maybe bring back some old world tech she was practically guaranteed for promotion in only a week.

Deep breath-in and out.

She looked around the gritty cavern that held the rusted door, skeletons of the dead lying on the floor, signs with various phrases painted on them. The ground made from aged granite, as a large gear like door stood proudly with the number 87 painted in white letters.

The doorway it was charged to protect wide open as the gear sat against the wall, rusted and grainy as they marched forth. *Tick, Tick* glancing down she noted her geiger counter ticking up, into semi harmful levels.

"Vargas! You pack radaway!" She yelled back to her teammate, "Yes captain!" Nodding she continued her walk. The walls of the vault were rusted and grimy like just about every vault she had seen in her admittedly short life.

Thus they marched… and walked straight into hell itself.

* * *

1 Minute

She Chuckled sarcastically one minute for the entire expedition to burn. They marched into the atrium the rusty metal creaking under the weight of their power armor, Before they struck in seconds the group of ten was down to six, laser rifles melting strait through their helmets, and into the soft mushy gray matter inside.

Panicking they retreated in the opposite direction of the entrance… not that it mattered do to the copious amounts of super mutants flooding in from that direction. Taking ragged breath she lead them away-trying somewhere safe to hide, regroup, cower whatever you want but they needed to get out of the firing range.

But as the saying goes out of the frying pan into the fire.

They were everywhere! Around every corner a super mutant was hiding, ready to blow brains out. Every old world physical weapon did almost nothing to the monsters. Forcing them to rely on the scarce supply of energy weapons which were soon relegated to killing blows only.

Soon enough they were trapped, in a room with only one door, that looked to be blocked off for some reason… But that wasn't important, nope not important at all. Grunting she forced another energy cell into her laser rifle, she glade, and vargas were regulated to finishing the ones Kodiak, Tristan, and Mile's disabled with physical weapons.

She aimed up for one's head firing, it disappeared in a spray of superheated gore. She dismissed to more super mutants the depths of hell, before everything just went plain old crazy.

A super mutant master, plowed through its smaller brethren, and the meager barriers they had managed to build out of junk laying around. First it smacked kodiak in the head, knocking him to the ground… more than likely knocking him out.

Then it pushed Glade, his chest plate groaning in protest as the super mutant put it leg on his chest and stomped. Before grabbing tristan's head and squeezing, based on the blood leaking from the helmet he wasn't doing very well. Coming back to his senses Vargas Sent off a few shots to it's head, before he was thrown back into the blocked door, tearing it open.

The mutant seemed stunned for a moment, before a smile came onto features and said something that would haunt her dreams for years to come. "Make more! Door down! Make More Mutants!" It didn't seem used to speaking as it growled in what she would guess to be an ecstatic voice.

It kicked a distracted miles who seamed to be messing with a jammed assault rifle, into the room, before yanking on her chest plate before she could get a shot off.

She was dragged slowly into the next room, another ten or so super mutants stumbled after the super mutant master, as it dragged her along. Miles seemed to have been knocked out while Vargas struggled to stand up, the super mutant master through her into the corner before grabbing the knee joint of her power armor and squeezing.

She groaned in pain as the metal bent around her leg prevented her from moving as she glared the super mutant laughed in glee, as it grabbed Miles and put him into some sort of chamber the other super mutants waiting by the door as they watched interested

The room itself was quite large despite the fact it only had two rooms. The first room was a containment area with a singular mattress in the middle, that it placed a now armorless miles on top of.

It left closing the door before going to a control panel, with a window for observation just above it. The super mutants giggled as it pressed a red button on the top… the room seemed to blur for a moment… like a mirage.

Then miles started screaming, slowly his skin started turning yellow, muscles bulging ever so slightly. Sarah almost threw up right then their when she realized what they were doing to miles. Swallowing the bile that was building in her throat she took a deep breath. Pushing the emergency release her hissed silently as the back folded and slid inside itself, allowing her quietly push her way out of the armor.

Good thing the super mutant left it on it's side or she could of had a lot of trouble with that.

Making a shushing motion, towards vargas she quietly made her way over to the second room, that was much like the first, being that it was meant for observation. The same control panel was right below the same observation window with a door maybe three feet to the left.

Hoping that their might be something that could help me in the Observation room, I wiped away a bit of the grime that had built up over the years an looked inside.

It was flooded, the entire roof of the room had been ripped open revealing a vat of some sort that used to reside above it. The watery substance was more than likely a liquid form of the gas they were using on Miles. The bodies of several Yoa Guai floating around along with a dresser, some sort of sword and the body of super mutant. It looked like their was a human body inside as well, wrapped in what looked to be a duster… with some sort animal on the back.

Sarah Jumped, the sound of a bullet causing her to whip around so fast she wouldn't be surprised if she snapped her neck. Only to be greeted with the sight of Vargas being thrown past her and into the door of the second observation chamber, denting it slightly, as he slid onto the ground, the watery substance leaking out.

However not all of the super-mutants were staring at her apparently having lost interest in the Miles screams. She squished herself up against the wall no doubt pressing some of the buttons on the control panel, as turbine roared to life within the walls.

Taking the last of her resolve, she pulled the only weapon she still had on her an old ten millimeter with the word Gary scratched onto the side. She knew that it lily wouldn't do much, even if she shot the super Mutants in the it would snap her neck like a cracker.

But she still raised the weapon shakily aiming for the group of super mutants approaching her.

*Bang*

Everything seemed to freeze as attention was drawn towards the door to the second observation chamber. That was now in possession of a single fist shaped dent.

*Bang*

The door flew off it's rails, and into the other side of the room, as footsteps echoed out from the room along with a decidedly familiar voice.

"Garrrrrrrrry" *Chuckles* "Always wanted to do that."


End file.
